Change
by Imagination Nation
Summary: Annabeth always loved Percy, she'd do anything for him. To win him from his girlfriend, Annabeth goes...a bit extreme. When a major misunderstanding comes into play, what will happen to Percy and Annabeth's relationship? Will she loose Percy forever?
1. Chapter 1

**Here's the winner! Change! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of PJO! I don't own the Internet! And I don't own Fan Fiction!**

**1**

**Annabeth**

I tapped my fingers against the wood and peeked around the corner, while trying to remain unseen. I bit my lip to avoid loud breathing, but there's nothing I can do for my heartbeat. I poked my head out more from the doorway. Coast is clear. I walked outside and wiped my somewhat sweaty hands on my jeans. I quietly sprinted across the grass and walked behind another cabin. More flashlights scanned the ground where I just was and found nothing. I released my breathe and ran my hand through my blonde hair. I waited, silently, for the flashlights to disappear. When the light vanished, I crept out from the shadows and ran a few more feet in front of the rough gray cabin. I stepped onto the dark porch and winced as the board squeaked. I quickly rolled into a corner of the porch and hid my body as a trail of light flashed over to spot on the porch. When the light moved onto the Ares cabin, I quietly crept out of my hiding spot and laid my hand lightly on the door. Then, something occurred to me. _How am I supposed to knock on the door with the Harpies and their extra sensory hearing? _I silently cursed under my breathe and turned my back to the door. Suddenly, a strong force clamped onto my shoulders and dragged me backwards. It clamped it's other hand over my mouth. As I was pulled inside, I watched the Harpies's lights all turn to the porch.

As soon as I was inside, they removed their hand from my mouth and I gasped for air. "Percy!" I said while smiling. Percy walked over to his bedside lamp and turned it on. A dim, fire-like, glow illuminated from the small lamp. He sat down on his bunk and hunched over in a lazy position. I walked over to the bunk next to his and sat down.  
"What? I didn't get caught." He said earnestly. I rolled my eyes and he smiled, his sea green eyes glittered in the dark room.  
"Still. That was risky." I turned my head towards the closed door. "How did you even know I was there?"  
"I heard the floorboards creak." I nodded. "There's a reason why I never got those things fixed."  
"Really? I thought it was laziness? Or perhaps stupidity?" I asked jokingly.  
"Ha ha. Very funny." He said sarcastically. I looked down at my black converse's and saw the words "Friends Forever" written on the white toe part. Percy had written that last summer, and I've never had the heart to wash it off. He even wrote our initials under it. Blonde hairs fell in my eyes and I quickly blew them away.  
"So...Percy. I'd just like to know_" I started. What am I supposed to say? _Oh Percy! I just want to know if you'll go out with me! Even if you do have_  
_"Sorry Annabeth! Gotta take this." He pulled the phone out of his pocket, pressed the button, and held it to his ear. A wide smile grew across his face, and I started clicking my heels together as I looked at the words on my shoes.

"Hey babe!" Percy said happily. That's right. Me and Percy finally get some time together, and his stupid girlfriend calls. I checked the clock next to his bed. _Who calls their boyfriend at 1 o'clock in the morning? _I thought to myself. _And what kind of boyfriend talks to them at 1 o'clock in the freaking morning? _I groaned and place my head in my palm. This is going to take a while.  
"No what's up?" Percy said. I heard her sweet voice talk and I felt a snarl try to rip through my teeth.  
"Really?" He asked enthusiastically.  
"You know, I thought we weren't supposed to use cell phones." I started at Percy while I pursed my lips.  
"Shh Annabeth!" He said while he covered the phone. "We can use phones here. It's not like a monsters going to smash through the borders just cause I received a call." I opened my mouth to argue, but he quickly started to talk to his girlfriend again. I rolled my eyes, and fell backwards unto the bed. I closed my eyelids and tried to tune out Percy's conversation...

"Annabeth?" I opened my eyes and looked at Percy standing over me.  
"Wha?" I looked around the room a bit.  
"You fell asleep while I was on the phone. Just hung up." I sat up slowly and looked at the clock.  
"3 hours? You talked for 3 hours?" I asked. My voice found it difficult to stay calm.  
"Yeah why?" I took in a deep breathe of air. I looked at the clock again, just to make sure I wasn't seeing things.  
"You..." I started. _Am I going to really yell at him like a jealous idiot? _I bit my lip and tried to release some of the anger from my head. "You know what? Never mind. Forget it." I stood up and dusted my maroon Cami and straightened my black jacket.  
"But_"  
"I should get back to my cabin, before they see that I'm missing." I said quickly as I headed for the door.  
"I feel like I barely got to talk to you though."He came up behind me with his arm outstretched. His messy black hair and green eyes glowed from the light.  
"Now whose fault is that?" I asked him. His stunned face stared at me. I turned my back, and exited the cabin. I ran across the area between our cabins, not even stopping to check for Harpies. I walked onto the porch to the Athena cabin, and looked back at the Poseidon cabin. Percy stood in the doorway, looking a little sad. I sighed and quietly walked inside.

* * *

**Now, before anyone even asks/says anything, this is just a filler chapter. The other chapters will be longer. Please review and all that good stuff. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks for reading everyone! Bye!**

**~Ultimate Demigod98**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the story! ;) Also to lillika, yes. I will be finishing my other story, Gone. But I'm wrapping it up kinda soon. Just saying. I'll try to update this more often, taking a short break from Gone though.**

**Updating isn't easy though, because I've been reading like crazy! Lost Hero, Dork Diaries, Immortal Series, Hunger Games, ect. Really, me head is running around in circles.**

**Anyway, thank you and read on!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, the Internet, or Fan Fiction! Duh! I'd be like a billionaire then!**

**2**

**Percy**

Annabeth's eyes met mine, but then my heart dropped into my stomach. She headed off into the cabin, sealing the door behind her. I sighed and stared at the honey colored door. My head felt like it was spinning out of control, and I guess that's how my life is. I looked at the field in between the cabins, and saw a beam of light make it's was slowly towards me. I quietly ran inside my cabin and closed the door. I pressed my back against the door and closed my eyes. My muscles relaxed and I tapped my fingers against the door.

"She's not right. It's not my fault." I said to myself soothingly. I opened my eyes and let a scream sneak through my clenched teeth.  
"She's right you know." Grover uncrossed his furry goat legs and stood up.  
"Grover? When did you get here?" I walked past him and turned on my bedside light. The tiny light flickered on and I stared at Grover's calm face.  
"Being the chosen one of Pan has it's privileges. Now, back to you and Annabeth_"  
"Dude! It's not OK to use your..." I waved my hands frantically through the air. "Wild God Powers to come in my room at..." I glanced at the clock. "At three fifteen in the morning!" I quietly yelled. Grover rolled his eyes and sat down again. I walked over to my bunk and sat down. I looked at Grover in the dim light.  
"She's right." He said simply.  
"How man? How is she right? Why can't I talk to_"  
"Dude! She was here first. Your weird girlfriend calls at like one o'clock in the morning, but you don't just let it ring! You answered it! You spent three hours talking to her, when Annabeth was here waiting for you guys to stop talking! And when it was time for her to go, you were ready to spend time with her." Grover looked at me sadly.  
"Wait. Did you just call my girlfriend weird?" I asked. Grover stood up and shook his head at me.  
"Yes Percy. I did. By the way, I'm with Annabeth on this one. It was your fault Percy. People aren't always going to be able to fit _your_ schedule. Make time for them sometimes." Grover shook his head and walked over to the door.  
"Wait, Grover!" He turned around and looked me in the eyes.  
"Man. I respect you. Percy Jackson is my best friend. But, after that girl came along, I don't know what happened to Percy Jackson." He turned around and left the cabin. I quickly followed him and he stood on the porch and bleated. The whole cabin shook and in a second, Grover was gone. I stared at the spot Grover was just at. I walked back into my cabin and sank down onto the bed. I stared at the boards holding the matress above me and found myself wishing tonight had never happened.

* * *

**Annabeth**

Heat tore through my eyelids, and probably baked my eyeballs to go with it. I quickly sat up and covered my eyes with my hand. _What's happening? The sun is never this bright in the morning..._I thought to myself. I swung my legs out of bed and looked at the calendar over my nightstand. _That's right. Today's the beginning of the first ever God Appreciation Week. Well, a week and a half. _Great. Today was Apollo's day, so of course we'll be blinded by the sun _all day. _I stood up and walked over to my closet. I pulled out my "white" paint splatter V-Neck and a pair of shorts, then I grabbed my black sunglasses that one of the Aphrodite kids gave me to "Help Expand" my wardrobe. I quickly put my hair up in a ponytail, then placed the shades on my head, and walked out the door.

The sunlight was even worse outside. I pulled the shades over my eyes and it helped a bit. I made my way over to the Big House. _There is no freaking way I'm doing classes like this! _I entered the place and took off my sunglasses, placing them in my pocket. I ran over to Chiron who was in the living room playing _indoor _pinochle with a tree nymph. _She isn't supposed to be far away from her tree..._I thought, then I saw the small ficus in the corner of the room. _Oh, that makes sense. _

"Chiron! There is no way I'm doing any classes with the sun that bright!" I said. Chiron threw down a card. "Can't you, like, not let some of the sunlight through the borders?" He sighed and looked up at me with a sad face.  
"As much as I'd like to do that my dear, I'm afraid Mr. D is in full control of the borders. And since he get's a day, he's agreed to the harsh light so he can get a day filled with wine. It's not good to see him drunk." Chiron grimaced and put down another card.  
"But Chiron_"  
"I'm sorry Annabeth. There's nothing I can do. You'll have to continue your classes as is." I reluctantly nodded and turned away. "By the way! Poetry reading at 5! Everyone has to write one about the god Apollo." I groaned and kept walking. I took out the sunglasses and pulled them over my eyes as I walked outside.

I squinted, even through the dark shades, I placed my hands in front of me to help steady myself. I stumbled past the Volleyball court, when I heard the Apollo kids snicker at my clumsiness. I rolled my eyes "Shut it." I muttered beneath my breath. I turned my head to them, but all I saw was a volleyball hurtling towards me. I ducked, but the ball slammed right into my face instead; I fell back and landed on the hot ground, blood appearing from my nose.

Their laughs grew louder, I felt the bent cartilage in my nose; I winced at my fragile touch. I picked up the white ball and turned it across my fingers, my arms tensed up, I stood up shakily and bounced the ball on the scorching ground. I carefully tossed the ball into the air. I've never really been very good at volleyball, but I guess now is the perfect time to learn; it's not like I was on a Volleyball team at school. AS it came down, I tried to picture how they did it, and swung my arm towards it, sending it flying towards them. It hurtled through the air; like a rocket, then slammed into one of the guy's shoulders; he flipped over with the sudden momentum.

The red haired girl stared at me, her eyes wide and her mouth open. Her straight red hair was up in a ponytail, her bangs were loose and dangled in front of her face. Light brown eyes glared at me, but she quickly stopped to help the guy up. He was maybe six feet tall, his long blonde hair fell over his eyes; his muscles were red from playing. "What in the name of Hades was that?" He shouted to me, I glared at him and pointed to my nose; my breath coming out in huffs.

"What do you think moron?" I asked, my anger seeped through my teeth, making it impossible to be polite.  
"What did you just call me?" He said as he walked over to me; the red head and another small blonde boy followed him.  
"Moron. Want me to spell it?" I asked. I was really asking to get punched but this jerk was giving me problems.  
"Yeah, you probably should." The girl said, her voice high and tight. "Let's see if you can spell it." I rolled my eyes and walked over to her, I looked into her light brown eyes.  
"M-O-R-O-N. Get it? See, unlike you, I spend my time doing better things then playing Volleyball." I said as I paced in front of them.  
"Hey, it's not as easy as it looks! It's very complex." The smaller blonde said. He was maybe 10, but despite how skinny he was, his muscles were toned and powerful. His hair was spiked up with a bit of gel and his light blue eyes stared at me with a bit of anger.  
"Yeah, cause hitting the ball over the net it very hard." I wiped some of the blood off my face, and the kids face visibly relaxed.  
"OK then, why don't you put your money were your mouth is." The large one said. "You got one hour to assemble your team. Meet me, Miles, and Alec back here with your loser posy. Be prepared to die." He said.  
"Likewise." I said. Alec glared at me, her eyes trying to decide how I was going to cheat. Yeah, fat chance.

I turned my back to them, and carefully navigated through the camp, over to the people I know I could count on to help me.

I reached the white cabin, the marble reflecting the suns rays. I knocked on the door, and heard feet shuffling inside. I took a deep breath and waited until the door opened.

"Oh come on! Don't you people understand that I'm on my bre_" She opened her electric blue eyes to look at me. Now you'd think she's hug me, or grab my hand and pull me inside; best friend stuff. Instead she screams. High pitched, blood curdling, OMG!-That-monster-is-going-to-bite-my-head-off scream. I backed away, but she grabbed my face and pulled me closer.  
"What the f_"  
"Annabeth! What happened? What did you do this time?" My mind tries to process what she says, and I still can't figure out what she means.  
"Oh wait, my nose?" I ask. Thalia slaps her hand across my head, and an elemetric current pulses through it.  
"No stupid, I'm talking about the way ears are bigger on one side then they are on the other!" I gingerly place my fingers on my ears. "Oh Annabeth relax!" She says as she pulls me inside.

"Yeah Thals, I need a favor_"  
"Oh, you mean besides me fixing your nose?" She asks.  
"Um...yeah. I need you to help me_"  
"Hold still..." She whispers as she placed a cold cloth on my nose; the icy chill spreads my nostrils, causing the snot to freeze.  
"What the_"  
"Annabeth we have to do this or it wont set properly."  
"Just use some Ambrosia!" I shout, but my nose makes it sound funny.  
"Yeah, but if we don't do this first, then it wont set properly_"  
"Says who?"  
"Dr. Thalia, now sit still!" She places her hands on my nose. She reaches behind hear and grabs an Ambrosia square and hands it to me. "Eat it when you thinks it's necessary."  
"So now_"  
"Later, but not now!" Thalia tightens her grip on my nose; my nose flares up from her single touch, but the cool cloth numbs it. Then, I figure it out. "Thalia, no! Don't do it Thals! No, no, no, no!" But her hand is already in motion, it pulls my bent nose the other way, straightening it out, but the cartilage is snapped and I feel like my nose was sawed off. I push the Ambrosia square into my mouth, my nose starts feeling better.  
"There. All better, and your nose isn't crooked!" She smiles and removes the cloth; covered in blood.  
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" I shout. Sure, my nose is better, but the nose snapping wasn't necessary.  
"Annabeth. If we didn't adjust your nose, it wouldn't heal right. Trust me, I know." I wiggle my nose, but no pain comes.  
"Fine, but I still need you as a player for my Volleyball match_"  
"Since when do you play Volleyball?" She sits down on a bunk.  
"Since those jerks challenged me. I need to two more players. You in?" She looks at the floor.  
"Annabeth, I'm afraid that..." She looks at me, but her eyes show mixed emotions. "That those guys are going to die of humiliation. Let's go show them." She smiles and I laugh.  
"Thanks Thalia."  
"Who else you thinking?" She asks me.  
"Um. I was thinking_"  
"Percy right? Why did I expect anything else?" She stands up and rubs her hands on her black jeans, straightens her sliver shirt, and walks over to me. "Let's go get Jackson's butt over here." I stand up and we walk out.

The gray cabin is only a few feet away. The lush grass under my feet reminds me of last night, I notice the squeaky board and I freeze while Thalia trudges ahead. It takes her a while to notice that I'm not beside her.

"Annabeth?" She turns around and looks at me.  
"Maybe we shouldn't bug him_"  
"Oh come on! This is Percy we're talking about! What could be better then bugging him?" She walks over to me and smiles. I carefully weight my options. One, I can go knock on that door and be strong. Two, I can run away now and go find some other madly skilled player. _Maybe number two is at least worth a try... _

"Well..." My voice can't form the rest of the words.  
"Well let's go then!" Thalia grabbed my wrist and pulled me onto the porch.  
"Guess number one then_" I mutter under my breath.  
"What?" My face goes pale. Thalia can't know...  
"Nothing, let's go." I say quickly. She shrugs, but reluctantly knocks on the door.

"Hey guys." Percy says as he opens the door. He's got on huge dorky sunglasses, distressed jeans, and his camp shirt with a little Nectar stain on it. I was going to laugh, but I bit it back. When he looks at me, his face drops; he obviously thinks this visit is about last night.  
"Hey Seaweed Brain." Thalia says. I feel like I should hit her, but I don't. She can use the nickname is she wants to.  
"Annabeth_" Percy starts  
"Hey Seaweed Brain, listen I need a favor." Percy relaxes a bit and lets us inside. Nothing has changed since last night, except for the time.

"OK, so what do you need?" He asks. We all sit down on the comfy blue bunk beds.  
"I need you to be a player on this Volleyball team thing." I say. He raises his eyebrow and smiles.  
"Annabeth, since when do you play Volleyball?" He asks jokingly, like I'm the worst player ever.  
"Since these jerks_"  
"Say no more. I'm i_" A ring plays through the room, sounding like the ocean, I crane my neck to see Percy's phone on the table. _She's _calling. "Sorry I gotta take this." He stood up and ran over to his phone, picked it up, and started talking. "Hey babe." I roll my eyes and stand up.  
"How are they going out?" Thalia asks me. I hear his girlfriend blabbing to him about her new manicure. "Blah." Thalia fake gags and I smile. Whether she know about my feelings or not, she always hated his girlfriend; almost as much as me. We walk over to the door and I start pushing it open, until I make the mistake of looking back. Percy's staring at me, confusion on his face. I motion to the phone pressed against his ear and walk outside into the harsh sunlight.

"OUCH! Could the sun be any brighter?" I ask, Thalia covers her eyes and moans. I look at the little watch wrapped around my wrist. "Well, I guess we can't worry about that now, we've got fifteen minutes til the match."  
"OK, before we worry about what we're going to wear," Thalia says, squinting from the light "Like all the superficial girls do," She says in a fake California girl accent. "Can we _please _get out of the sun?" She wines.  
"Well, where are we supposed to go?" I ask, but as soon as it comes out, we both think of the answer.  
"Hades cabin." We say at the same time. Doesn't get much darker then in there. We sprint down the steps and only touch the grass when the cabin behind us opens.  
"Annabeth, I'll be there!" Percy calls, but you can see he's still on the phone.  
"Yeah, right. If you hang up by then." I say quietly. He knows I said something though. Before he can respond, me and Thalia dash off towards the Hades cabin.

"You're right though." Thalia says while we run, the heat causing a trickle of sweat to fall down my face.  
"About what?" I ask, she just laughs and runs faster.  
"He'll probably _never _stop talking!" I smile and lunge ahead. Running made me feel better, everything was happier. Despite my recent blow-offs from Percy.  
"Maybe we should get him a back up, case he doesn't show!" I say.  
"Hey! Why don't we ask Samantha?" Thalia calls. I shrug while I run.

That's right.

Nico's girlfriend, Samantha.

* * *

**CONTEST! I'm looking for ideas for names. GIRL NAMES. One for Percy's girlfriend. I really love incorporating the names into the story, I love hearing the different ideas, and no names go unused. (Seriously, just check out Gone.) Anyway, do review and tell me your thoughts, love to hear them! **

**Now, who thinks I should try to juggle more then I already do? Cause I'm thinking about a new story once Gone is done. (Which will be soon) I'll post the ideas when I'm sure, but it's just a thought. **

**Um...that's all I have to say I guess. Review. Thanks, bye!**

**~Ultimate Demigod98**


	3. Chapter 3

**Before I say anything else, this goes out to Demigod Kid, I did read your story Crusaders Through Time. I'm actually very intrigued on what will happen, and I can't wait to see what you come up with. Also, thanks for changing you're mind about my story; it really means a lot.**

**Second, I'm sorry about how busy I've been but I'm trying to do better on my updating. A lot has been going on with the holidays, homework, school, family, and all that other crap. I'm surprised I can even write this; I'm seriously about to collapse. **

**Finally, I'm thinking about writing a new story; as I've said so many times before. Something about the Hunger Games? Immortal Series? Lost Hero? Crossover? Not sure, I'm still thinking, but I did put up a poll and the winning story will be posted after I finish Gone. Which will be soon. Sorry, but it has to end eventually. **

**You ready to learn what the Girlfriend's name is? Well I know a simple way to find out! READ FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! READ!**

**On with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of PJO!**

**Annabeth**

**3**

THALIA COLLAPSED ON THE PORCH, breathing heavily; her tongue hung out of her mouth, symbolizing her exhaustion. I also sat down on the black wood and felt sweat drip down my back, making my shirt uncomfortable and hot. Reluctantly, I stood up and dragged Thalia with me; her sweaty hands made it hard to grab her.

"Come on Thals!" I pulled her wrist and she flew up, but then sunk down onto a porch chair Nico had set up in the corner.  
"Annabeth." She pointed to me, her voice was dry and her eyes were half- crazed. "Please don't make me stand up." She begged, folding her hands together and giving me a sad look. "My legs feel like rubber!"  
"Well that's what you get for running over here," I smiled but she remained sad. "especially since you couldn't handle it." I added, Thalia bolted up and started doing jumping-jacks.  
"You kidding? I can handle any_" Her weakened legs tripped over a loose nail, she stumbled over; her chin scraping the wood, her nose inches from the door. "Ow." She said. She leaned forwards and tried to push herself up. "I'm fine. Nothing's going to keep me_"

"What's going on?" The door swung open, smacking Thalia in the face, Nico stood there. His hair stuck up like he just was struck by lightning and he wore his gray robe with the chocolate stain on it. And, worst of all, he had on those skeleton slippers Samantha got him for Halloween; Nico's Christmas. Those creepy slippers had glowing red eyes, and if you got to close, it had these little arms that would grab your ankles. Plus, they laugh at you once they grab you, which everyone, but Samantha and Nico, find creepy.  
"OW! WHAT THE F_"  
"Oh, hi Thalia." Nico said calmly, he laughed at her face.  
"Gods Thalia! Are you OK?" I asked, examining her hit. And guess what? Her nose was broken, gushing blood and the bent cartilage laid unfixed. Payback. "Nico! We need to get inside and fix her!" I said, pushing Thalia into the dark cabin. I sat her down on the couch and walked over to Nico.  
"Want me to get some Amb_"  
"Yeah, and a really cold wash cloth." I smiled and Nico raised his eyebrow.  
"What she do?" He asked as he sauntered into his supply room.  
"You'll see." I turned around and walked back into the main room. I looked around at the gray walls; none of them were plain though. One had the word "Nico Rulz" written on it in black spray paint, others had paint splatters, skeletons, and fires on them. As I walked over to Thalia, I stepped on a pair of black underwear Nico left on the floor.

That's when the mess hit me.

There was a white-ish T-Shirt hanging on the ceiling fan, a pile of rotten food by the bunks, and something was moving under a pile of dirty clothes by the couch. Magazines covered the floor, the fireplace burned Greek Fire and a fish, and the clock on the wall was broken, a mountain of glass and a basketball sat underneath it. The place would've been nice without all the junk. It had a nice set of leather couches by the fire, a mini T.V, and it had this cabin had the best air current at camp. Course, Nico got it and completely ruined it.

Then I remembered Thalia. She sat on the long couch, clutching her face and trying not to get blood everywhere. I slowly came closer to her.

"Hey Thalia. Just relax, close your_"  
"Is my nose broken?" She interrupted.  
"Um..." I looked around the room to see Nico, quietly, bringing me the stuff. "Nah, just wait a few seconds... You'll be better soon. Close your eyes. Relax." I laid the cool cloth on her nose and she sighed.  
"Ah. That feels good." She smiled, she almost looked asleep. I got a careful grip on her nose, not wanting to startle her.  
"Stay still..." I said quietly. I motioned for Nico to be ready to give her the Ambrosia. "And...Now!" I pulled her nose the other way, her a loud rip in her nose; just like mine. Nico dropped the Ambrosia into her screaming hands and she pushed it into her mouth. Blood filled up the cloth as I ripped it off, staining my hands, but I had to stay and watch my revenge.  
"WHAT THE HE_" She sprung up, wrinkling her nose, Nico laughed on the floor; he held a small camera in his hands.  
"One word Thals. Payback." I said. She glared at me, but she let it slide.  
"Thanks, I guess. Don't want my nose all crooked..." She sat back down on the couch, Nico stashed his camera and walked away. I threw the rag into a trash pile and sat down next to Thalia; surprisingly, she didn't punch me.

"Nico, where's Samantha?" I asked him as he walked into the room again.  
"Um...Probably with the other Hecate kids. They needed her to do something. So she left me here for and hou_"  
"Aw Nico. Your girlfriend left you." Thalia said sympathetically, Nico rolled his eyes and tried to speak. "Finally! The world makes sense again!" Guess she's feeing better. She jumped up and started dancing in her mocking way. Then, she slipped on one of Nico's shoes. She crashed onto the floor, landing on her butt.  
"Nice." Nico said, smirking. She stood up quickly and sat back down.  
"Continue you're story Nico." She said, her cheeks burned red.  
"Right, so she said she'd be _back _in an hour." Stared at the flames coming from the fire, licking the edge of the black obsidian mantel. "She only left 20 minutes ago." he muttered.  
"Yeah, we were wondering if_"  
"Nico. When was the last time you cleaned this place?" I asked, interrupting Thalia.  
"What's cleaning?" He looked at me, obviously confused. I smacked my head.  
"It'll help you have a girlfriend longer, I'll show you!" Thalia said. She walked over to the small trash bag in the corner of the room, picked it up, and brought it over to us. She lifted the bloody rag off the floor and tossed inside, she smiled at the rustling sound. "Throw away the trash, put away the rest." She threw him the trash bag. Nico picked up a stick by the hearth and plucked the fish from the fire, then tossed it into the bag. It sizzled as it made contact with the plastic, he stuck the stick at a napkin on the floor and shook it into the bag.  
"This isn't hard..." He said carefully, thinking he might be wrong.

Of course, he was.

We cleaned for the rest of the hour, but since there were 3 of us, we got the entire room cleaned. Thalia picked up the trash, Nico picked up his "valuables", and I did those finishing touches. It actually looked pretty good. We actually found the floor; turns out it's black with gold marks.

"Hey! Nico? You there?" Samantha walked into the cabin and almost toppled over in shock. She had black hair that was tinted purple in the sunlight, her dark brown eyes resembled Nico's in a girly way. She was almost Nico's height, so around 5.8, and she always wore something green. Today, it was a green Cami with a white thin shirt over it, she wore denim shorts, and black flip-flops. "Nico. You actually _cleaned?_" She asked him, walking around the floor like a banana peel will pop out at her.  
"Yeah with some_" Nico started.  
"Yeah all by himself." I said. He looked at me, but I decided to give him the credit. Thalia wasn't so easy to convince.

"Wha_"  
"Yeah Thalia! You saw Nico clean the whole place by himself, didn't you?" I glared at her, but she still stared at me like I was crazy.  
"Annabeth! We he_"  
"Didn't we have something to ask Samantha Thals?" I asked, cutting her off before she ruined it for Nico.  
"Yeah. Sure." Thalia said, her voice defeated.  
"Samantha, I have this Volleyball match coming up in a few minutes and I was wondering if you'd fill in_"  
"Course! I love Volleyball!" She said, she walked over to me and gave me an awkward hug.  
"Great, we originally asked Percy but_"  
"But you can't trust that he'll be there, right? I wouldn't either. _I'll_ be there, you can count on that." She smiled, then danced her way back into Nico's waiting arms. He held her tightly, kicking of his slippers so they wouldn't grab her. She leaned her head into the crook of his neck, Nico smiled and stuck his tongue out; directing it right at Thalia. She groaned and laid on the recliner.

I was fine until Samantha kissed Nico.

Trust me, I'm _not _jealous. I made me feel uncomfortable. She pressed her lips against Nico's, he pulled her closer with one hand. It seemed to go on longer, I just felt like I was spying. Nico and Samantha made me think of Percy. How much I wanted him. How much I wanted to know what Samantha felt, when the person she loved kissed her. Something I wanted, right in front of me. I grabbed Thalia's wrist and we walked towards the door. I like that Thalia is a Hunter, this way, we can both be uncomfortable when there are couples nearby.

"OK...bye Samantha! See you in a few..." I flew out the door, Thalia on my heels. The heat of the day was upon us, the cold air felt so far away; there was really only a black piece of wood between us and it.  
"You think she'll come?" Thalia asked. I sighed, pulling my ponytail tighter.  
"Probably not." I said sadly, all of that work, for nothing. "But we can take them anyway!" I smiled a forced grin, but Thalia shook her head and we started walking back to out cabins; I had to get ready for the game.

I ran inside, pulling off my sweaty clothes. I changed into cotton shorts and a thin white shirt. I laced up my white tennis shoes, put a pair of sunglasses on my head, and ran outside; it was much cooler. Thalia ran out of her cabin a few seconds later; she wore a pair of black shorts, her gray cloud shirt white the lightning bolt on it, and her silver and white sneakers. For once, her hair was up in a ponytail; the hastily tucked strands fell out though.

"Ready?" She asked, her voice about to break. We both knew the answer.  
"No." She said at the same time as me. I smiled but it was quickly removed when I caught a glimpse of Alec walking towards the court. Her red hair had large, artificial, curls this time, but it was still up in the ponytail. Her spandex shorts had her name written on the thigh, her light blue shirt almost covered them. She glanced in our direction, rolled her eyes; which were now darker, and sprinted faster. Something burned inside of me then. That simple eye roll had stared a fire. One I don't wish to extinguish. I loosened up my ankles then took off, sprinting towards the court; Thalia was surprised by my sudden speed, but ran after me all the same.

I looked at the court. The Apollo team was there; only now did I notice that each person's jersey had their name sewed on, "Miles" then "Alec" and "Kaleb" Alec opened a water bottle waiting in the sand and took a drink, glaring at me the entire time. She still looked at me after she stopped.

"Look who had enough nerve to show up." She said, her eyes darting between me and Thalia. "Too bad she can't win. Didn't you know? _Three_ people on a team." She pointed to me and Thalia. "And by the looks of it, there's only two of you!" She smiled. I walked over to our side of the court, not giving Alec the satisfaction. I sat down on the bench, watching the sand stir with the slight breeze.  
"Hey! One of them _might_ show up!" Thalia said, trying to cheer me up. I highly doubt it.  
"Hey guys! 'Sup!" I craned my neck to see Samantha running over to us, she had a white bag in her hand.  
"What's in the bag?" Thalia asked, Samantha pulled out icy cold water bottles.  
"Thanks!" I shouted, my throat suddenly felt weak at the sight of the cold liquid. I unscrewed the cap and let the water flow down my mouth.  
"You guys seriously came without water? You have to play, like, all the time to not need it!" She took a sip of her water too.  
"Kinda..." Thalia said, we put down our bottles and walked into center court.

"Good luck, you'll need it." Alec whispered in m ear as we shook hands.  
"Likewise." I said, then walked back to my team, it was starting.

I tried t prevent myself from glancing at the other team, watching their warm ups, but my wandering gray eyes caught a few of their hits. Alec spiked the ball over the net; it spiraled over, barely missing the net, and hit the ground with incredible force. Something hard to hit. I noticed Kaleb, he served the ball over the net, going to the very corner of the court. I flinched away, even though it wasn't really near me. Miles set the ball, his fingers strong and firm, it flew over the net with good momentum landing it close to the line. Despite Miles size, he was still a contender; he was not to be over looked, or used as a weak spot.

I cocked my head back into our group, Samantha was experienced. She knew the rules, she could do everything except spike. But, from my observations, we needed a spiker. "We should warm up..." I said, my eyes looking at Thalia. She glared at the other team. "Or else...or else we'll..."  
"Or else we'll get creamed?" Thalia asked, trying to help. Of course, she only made me feel worse.  
"Thanks Thals," I said, my sarcastic tone seeping through my teeth. "have some confidence." I looked at her and she nodded, mouthing the word "sorry"  
"Let's do this." Samantha said, trying to boost our spirits. We walked out into the court, I grabbed a sandy Volleyball lying on the line. I steadied the ball in my fingers, rotating slightly, like it'll help my aim. I lowered the ball, connecting my vision with the round object in my hands. I brought my arm back, stood behind the line, and exhaled a breath though it came out shallow and shaky. I smacked the wrist against the ball, placing all my force into the hit. It flew from my fingertips and soared through the air, landing on the other side and crashing right before it went out of bounds. I jumped up and smiled at Alec shocked face, her eyes burned with a new red tint around the pupil. Thalia patted my back, then rolled the Volleyball in her fingers. She threw the ball up, and as it came down, she slapped her hand on it and sent it whizzing through the air. She could spike, and she was good. I hugged Thalia, we watched Alec glare at us but she stopped when she turned to get a ball. Alec walked up to the net, and spiked the ball over, sending it close to our faces. She crossed her arms at us and watched up for the rest of practice, which only added more pressure to make us do worse. Every time we did good, she'd spike another ball over, close to our heads.

Then, the buzzer rung, starting the game. We ran to our spots on the court, I was going to be the starting server. Sweat dripped down my back as I stood there. The pressure Alec put on me was nothing compared to this, I stood in my position anyway. I served the ball over, it was a great serve; right on the line, but somehow Alec was able to retrieve it. She bumped it to Miles who set it over the net; it came onto our side and my heartbeat accelerated, it fell over near Thalia. Thankfully, she set it up and Samantha bumped it over to the other side. Kaleb spiked the ball, despite the fact that he was in the back row, but it still skinned the net and came straight to me. Instinctively, I raised my hand and spiked it; it worked. It tumbled into the net, but dropped onto the ground. Alec was on her stomach, close to reaching the ball but she missed. Frustration crossed over her face and mixed with rage.

The ball was rolled back, I prepared myself to hit the ball, when my wrist made contact the ball hurtled over the net and it flew towards Miles. He took the blow head-on but his strong fingers absorbed it. It rolled off his fingers and bounced into the hair, but it didn't go too high. He backed off quickly, while Kaleb came up behind him and bumped the ball over the net. After the ball left his skin though, he shrugged of his shirt and left his burly chest open and exposed. Samantha stared at the muscles and almost missed the ball, she did a bad set into the air, but Thalia managed to get it over the net again. It sailed toward Kaleb, hitting him square in the shoulder, he tumbled back and we gained the point. We planned on making this a short game, 5 points to win. We had a good start.

This time, I tried to over-hand serve. It spiraled towards Alec; the worst place for it to go. She countered the impact by spiking it, it tumbled into the net, but fell over near Thalia. She reacted so fast and saved it in the nick of time. It bounced back towards me, I spiked it and it flew over the net; straight for Miles. His fingers were still numb though, so when he to the impact, it didn't go far. It landed a few inches in front of him, he doubled over on the ground clutching his fingers. Kaleb groaned and started cussing in Greek, Alec rolled her eyes and walked over to her water bottle.

"Ow! That hurts man!" He groaned at glared at...Kaleb. "You could give me help here! I'm only ten, don't just stand there and criticize!" He leaped to his feet and walked over, leaning his face up to face Kaleb.  
"Shut it brat! I'm doing my job, you do yours!" His long fingers curled into strong fists, Miles clenched his teeth. "Sides, you don't have to take a strong serve with your fingers! Try bumping!" Kaleb laughed, but Miles shoved Kaleb's chest; Kaleb went backwards, I didn't want to know how strong Miles really was.  
"I'm strongest with my hands man! You know that!" His fingers twitched, i saw his muscles tense up. "You've seen me practice every day of my life, my fingers are_"  
"Stupid." Kaleb finished, he cross his arms across his chest. "Learn to be, like, more _cool_. Don't just have _one_ strength, have _many_. It's _so _stupid! Get over your weird-kid phase and grow up!" Kaleb glared at Miles, daring his to comment. "Don't be like your freaky Mom, Caste_"

Just then, Miles charged. He jumped onto Kaleb, hung there for a spilt second, then wrapped hit lethal fingers around Kaleb's throat.

* * *

**Hello, did you like it? I hope so, I'm not so good at having long chapters-I suck like that. I took the longest time just getting all this up, and I've been working on this for a few days, nonstop. But, it's finally done! I'm sorry that I didn't say what the girlfriend's name was, but there was no way to incorperate it into the story...yet. Next time, though, I have it all planned out! Trust me. **

**Also, thank you to everyone who read/reviewed-I read the reviews everyday and it just gives so much inspiration that I log on this stupid computer and yank my brains out trying to update. Thanks though, it means the world to me. **

**Finally, please vote on my poll. I just posted it about my new story ideas-the summaries for them are on my profile. I might add more choices later, I'll see. **

**OK, thank you everyone. I'll update soon, but it does take a while. Review please! **

**~Ultimate Demigod98**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello people of the Internet. I'm really sorry about the delay in this chapter, but a lot has happened since I started writing. **

**The biggest thing is my cat, Russell, had to get put down on Monday (November 29, 2010) and I just felt really sad so I had a hard time writing. He had this awful genetic disease where all the tissue around his hips died, most of his bones were fractured, and he could barely walk. But he's in a better place now, right? So I'm happy that he's feeling better. I take a moment, right now, to honor our lost pets...Thank you. Miss you buddy!**

**Second, I did actually finish this chapter, but I deleted it. Why? Because it was crap. Pure stupidity that I can't have in this story. So, i had to start all over. I hope it'll be way better then the last try, or I'll just keep deleting.**

**Third, this one's kinda lame...I've been reading again. This time, it's the Mortal Instruments. I love it! Jace and Clary forever! Story ideas soon! And I started Clockwork Angel and the GONE series. **

**Finally, in this chapter, I'm going to reveal the name chosen for the stupid girlfriend. Do you think you can handle the suspense? Well it's been killing me to reveal it, so here I go!**

**Wait, does anyone mind if I swear? Like, just a few times? If you're really not OK with it, then I won't put it in there anymore. That's just for those younger readers though...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of PJO!**

**Annabeth**

**4**

FALLING THROUGH SPACE, TO THE POINT where you get pulled out of oblivion. They throw you behind this huge glass wall and it captures your whole body and makes it completely impossible to move. Paralysis strikes you, all your nerve shut down. You're stuck there and you feel helpless, confused, and a little shocked. Then, since you can't do anything, you start thinking about your life; your recent past flashes by your eyes. You know that feeling?

Well, I do.

That sight is burned into my mind. Miles and his raw power. Just closing my eyes brings on the image; Miles running at Kaleb, clinging to him like a rope that's going to save your life, and tightly securing his fingers around his throat. All I can do is watch. Being Kaleb, he struggles and brings his arms up to remove Miles. Miles kicks his hands away, I can see that Kaleb's fingers are broken, and Miles squeezes tighter to immobilize Kaleb.

Actual, looking back on the incident, there was a kind of grace to Miles. Miles was like a snake; the fear that courses through your veins when you see it, and the sight of the snake in action. I don't think I'll ever forget it, no matter how hard I try.

Kaleb didn't scream. He tried to shake Miles off. He shook himself, thrashed around, and finally fell backwards into the sand. Nothing worked. Whatever Kaleb did, Miles just tightened his grip. I thought it could go on forever; with Kaleb's strength and Miles being so persistent. But horror entered my body the very second that Kaleb sunk to his knees. He cried out in pain, causing Alec to look at him. She screamed, ran over to him and started pulling Kaleb away from Miles. But it just wasn't enough. Tears poured down her eyes and she was screaming at Miles to let him go.

But being in that wall, I couldn't hear anything. It was like a movie scene going in slow motion. Everything didn't go at the correct speed, the voices came out funny, and I can't move. I feel awful for it. I want to close my eyes, fall asleep, and dream of somewhere better. Where this wasn't happening.

But this is reality. It's like a current of electricity shoots through my body, awakening all my sleeping nerves, shattering the wall of energy around me. And it's all triggered when Alec's voice breaks through.

"This isn't your fight! Don't stop me!" Miles said through gritted teeth.  
"Stop! No! Please stop! You're killing him!" Her voice rung in my ears, tears coming through her voice. I jumped where I stood and quickly looked at Thalia. It was obvious I couldn't free Kaleb alone; even with Alec. I squeezed her arm and she blinked a few times. I ran towards Miles, Thalia behind me, and we both got down our knees and pulled on Miles. Thalia attacked, what should be, the weak points in his arms. All it did was make him angrier, which caused him to grip Kaleb's neck harder. I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him backwards, he quickly turned his head and tried to bit me off. I jerked away but kept my hold on him and I looked at Alec. She screamed louder, held Kaleb's unconscious head in her lap, and was working to pry Miles from Kaleb. Despite all out efforts, nothing was working.

Thalia looked into my eyes, I could tell she was running out of strength. I was too. I nodded my head once, dropped my hands from Miles shoulders, and stood up. She looked at me in confusion, but I mouthed to her "be ready" and she nodded. I fixed my shoulders, curled my fingers into fists, then let them fly forward.

My hand collided with Miles, he screamed in pain and covered his cheek with both hands. Perfect. Thalia ripped him backwards and he rolled over in the sand, still clutching his face. I caught a glimpse of the damage I did. His cheek was already swelling, a this cut was gushing blood and I realized that I had scratched him. I examined my fingernail, and sure enough, there was a bit of blood underneath one. I wiped it off and watched Thalia struggle to control Miles. He was flailing like a fish out of water, swinging his arms and legs around. Thalia jumped backwards as Miles swung his hand a bit too close to her face.

"Thanks." I turned to Alec, she tried to smile but she was to tired to do anything more. Then the soreness in my muscles hit me. When I tried to move, pain shot through my like someone was pulling me apart. I quickly found a position where I felt comfortable and stayed there.  
"Welcome. It wasn't a big_"  
"Yes, it was." She said, silencing me. "You saved my boyfriend's life cause you punched Miles." She said, lips turning up into a smile, but it quickly vanished. Now wasn't a good time to laugh anyway. "I guess your not so bad."  
"Likewise." I say, looking around the court quickly.

"Please tell me he's breathing." Samantha runs up to us, carrying a first aid kit.  
"Yeah, where were you? You could've helped!" Alec shouts, but I see she instantly feels bad. She opens her mouth, but Samantha quiets her.  
"It's OK, I'd be on edge if _that,_" She points to Kaleb, then Miles. "just happened to Nico. I ran off to go grab this as soon as Miles..." she trails off. "Let's begin." She opens the kit, cracks her knuckles, then starts reading from a book of healing. Alec runs her fingers through Kaleb's hair, murmuring to him. I sigh, feeling like everything's going to be OK.

If only I'd known how wrong I was.

There's only a few screams that I know, the ones that would cause me to loose my mind if I heard them. Well, this was one of them.

"Holy shit!" I whirled around, my adrenaline pumping faster then anything I'd ever experienced. Thalia lay in the sand, blood seeping through her fingers that were wrapped, protectively, on her jaw. Miles stood over her, smiling, as she screamed in pain. She slowly started curling herself into a ball, bringing her legs in closer to cover her body. Miles grabbed Thalia's shin, steadied himself, then yanked the bone sideways.

A loud crack emanated from that spot, and just seeing her leg twisted that way was enough to throw me over the edge. I stand and quickly walk over to Miles, clenching my fists.

"YOU BASTARD!" I shout, even before I know what's slipping out. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" I charge at him.

At first, Miles stands there like it's a joke. He crosses his arms and plants his feet firmly into the ground. This only makes me worse. Without even considering what I'm doing, I pull out my knife. The celestial bronze shines in the hot sunlight, throwing a ray of light in his eyes. Then, once I move, he's aware of the blade. He brings his leg up, messes with the white laces on his shoe, takes them off, and then throws them at me. One hits me leg, I stumble a bit, but I'm still charging him. The second one flies at my face. I deflect it with my knife, cutting a hole down the middle. I stared at my knife in shock. _That shouldn't have worked...It should've gone right through..._I shake the shoe off my knife and keep running after Miles.

Miles dashes down the grassy hill, a tall field stands below it. Something Miles could easily hide in, and it wouldn't give me the advantage. I stare down at Miles as he ducks into the field, then he's gone. Engulfed by the wheat that the Demeter cabin insisted we have.

Then I remember Thalia, I turn my back to the field, sit by Thalia, and take her hand.

"Thalia!" I scream, squeezing her hand, tears welling up in my eyes.  
"Ow." She says simply, shaking off my hand then tenderly touching her jaw.  
"Sorry." I say quickly, She gives me her hand again and I just hold it.  
"It's fine Anni_Ow!" She winces "I'm OK." She tries to smile, but I can tell she's not. "Really, I'm good." She says, I think, barely opening her mouth.  
"Are you sure?" I ask.  
"Yeah. Can you do something for me?" She asks, gazing to me eyes. Then she gets a sick look on her face. She rolls onto her side, tries to pucker her lips, and spits something into the sand. "Yuck, blood." She says, rolling back over. She sees the expression on my face and shrugs. "What? I'm not a vampire. It's not appetizing." She says. I smile.  
"Don't smile." I say quickly, wiping mine off my face. She nods a bit.  
"OK. Now, about you doing me a favor." She says again, I nod.  
"Yeah, anything. What?" I ask, holding her hand a bit harder. She looks at me, and I loosen the grip on her hand.  
"I need you to...to..." She says, closing her eyes.  
"Thalia! Thalia! You can't die!" I say, grabbing her shoulders and giving her a shake.  
"OW! Annabeth! Watch the face area! Ow." She says, rubbing her jaw. "Am I not aloud to close my eyes with out you thinking I'm going to die?" She asks, fighting a laugh. "Gosh Annabeth! Since when are you my mother?" She asks, smiling. But then she shrieks in pain which completely lowers the mood. "Like really_"  
"What did you want me to do?" I say quickly, cutting her off.  
"Huh?" She looks at her fingers. "Oh! Yeah. I need you to do something."  
"Really?" I ask, sarcasm and a bit of impatience in my words. "Do tell me."  
"I need you to..." She pauses for a dramatic effect that I_ defiantly _could've lived without. "to kick Miles skinny, retarded, ugly, filthy, smell, disrespecting ass." I smile. She gently moves so she can reach into her pocket. She pulls out a silver and gold dagger. She opens my hands and gives it to me.

"What? Thalia, what is this?" I ask  
"Biter." She says simply.  
"Huh? Is it..." I'm unable to complete the sentence.  
"Half Celestial Bronze and half regular. Works on both_"  
"Mortals and Godly things." I finish for her, staring at the dagger. "Just like Luke's sword, backbit_" Then it hit me. "Thalia,"  
"Yeah, it's a part of Backbiter." She admits. "Well, you know how it got lost in the hearth? I went back after the fight, inspect the damage, you know? Then it's just sitting there. So..."  
"You took it?"  
"No! Well, I hope not. But it was missing, and it reappeared just for me, like how special is that? It was a sign!" She winces.  
"Here's a tip. Try not to shout!" I say, she jerks away from, but I smile and she, sorta, does too.

"So this was Luke's." I say, trying to get it to sink in. It isn't.  
"Part of it. I actually like it, so, I think I'll keep it." Thalia runs her nail lightly over the blade. "But, for now, you can use it to kill Miles." She's trying to sound funny. I grab the daggers hilt, like I'm planning on killing a monster.

The sensation feels wrong. It's like it's made of icy, something slippery and cold. The small wooden hilt makes me feel uncomfortable, and I know that the actual blade's touch would drive me insane. It feels wrong. Like I'm about to commit suicide with this dagger, to kill maybe my friends or family. It's like a venom it seeping up the knife, something working it's way into my skin, slowly turning me sinister. I drop the dagger in the sand, the blade plunging into the earth.

"What was that for, Annie?" Thalia sits up, grabs the dagger, then starts cleaning it with her shirt.  
"I..." I'm at a loss for words. "I...it..." I close my mouth. I can't tell Thalia that I think the knife is evil. She'd think I'd lost my mind, just as a note, if a child of Athena looses her mind, then there is a_ huge_ problem. "I'd prefer to kill him with my own dagger." I say, but she's obviously not convinced. Her eyes ask me _Why are you telling me lies? _"You know, cause it's my own? I..."  
"Annabeth, what's wrong?" She asks, still holding the knife. "I can tell when you lie, you know?"  
I swallow, hard, then blink a few times as if I've just woken up from a daze.

"I'm _so_ sorry Thalia, I was helping Alec and Kaleb." Samantha's kneeling besides me, saving my butt, and probably Thalia's.  
"It's OK, I'm fine. Annie was here, keeping me company." She says as Samantha digs through her case for something. "Samantha, you really_"  
"You know what I just realized?" Samantha asks, stopping her search and looking at me and Thalia. "I realized that "Samantha" is just _so _long and hard to say. From now on, just call me Sammy."  
"OK?" I say slowly, adjusting to the new name. "How's Kaleb?" I ask, while she returns to Thalia's face.  
"He'll be OK..." She says, silently saying something else that I couldn't hear. I glance over at them. Alec sits on her knees and she holds Kaleb's hand in her lap. Whispering to him. "You know he'll still be, like, a giant jerk or whatever." She touches Thalia's chin and she screams a bit. Saman__Sammy _grabs an ambrosia square and tries to find a way to give it to Thalia without hurting her. "But he'll be as normal as he can be." She says, laying the square in Thalia's palm.  
"OK, good." I say.

"Great, the jerk's gonna be fine. What about me_Ow!" She winces and touches her jaw.  
"You..." Sammy hesitates. She shots her eyes between me and Thalia, takes a deep breath, and speaks. "Might...die."  
My heart practically stops beating, blood freezing, and my brain shuts down. I am unable to comprehend this information. Sammy has hit my off switch, sending me tumbling through space. "What?" I ask slowly, barely choking out the word. I am now aware again. I can see the sad looks that Sammy gives me, then Thalia, and sighs. It occurs to me the difficulty of Sammy's job. She has been healing everyone and when there is bad news, and she can do nothing, she must deliver and comfort.  
"You've got to be kidding, right?" Thalia says. Her fists grip tightly around the sand around her, eyes wide, and barely breathing. I scoot closer to her, grab her arm, and watch Sammy.  
"I'm sorry, but, _no._ You might die, Thalia." A tear rolls down her cheek, she tries to look hopeful, but I can tell from her eyes. There is little hope.  
"How...why...she..." I struggle to find the words, unable to form a sentence.  
"Thalia's jaw was..." She swallows, wipes her eyes, and continues. "It was, _severely_, knocked out of place." She bits her lip. "You know that when, say, your nose gets broken and you have to jerk it the other way before you use Ambrosia or it'll heal crooked?" Thalia looks at me.  
"See! Told you!" She winces from her shouting.  
"Yeah, well, she was right. To get Thalia's jaw to lay straight again, which is_ crucial_ if she want to be able to talk normally again, we'd need to_"  
"Straighten it..." I say as it begins to dawn on me.  
"Yeah, exactly. If someone was to do it, the slightest flaw..." Sammy swallows, choking on her words.  
"It'll break her neck, and she'd die." We all finish, a sick feeling shots through my body and makes my stomach flip.

"It can't be _that_ hard, right?" Thalia asks, gently stroking her jaw and feeling the bumps that shouldn't be there.  
"Actually, it will be. Strength enough to do this will be difficult to find. If it's to hard, it'll kill you. If it's not hard enough, you'll be the same and be in even more pain." Sammy scratches the back of her neck. "So much can go wrong..."  
"Well we have to try, right?" I ask quickly, tightening my hold on Thalia. She pushes me away a bit and I mentally slap myself for hurting her.  
"It's..." Sammy can't find the words. "It's like Poker for someone with only...one hundred dollars left." I tilt my head, showing my confusion. "It's a giant risk. It's almost _necessary _to gamble, but it will probably hurt you even more. You do it anyway, though, because you are hoping for the best" Thalia lets out a ragged breath.  
"The odds won't be in my favor, Annie." Thalia says, rubbing my hand.  
"Thalia!" I shout, jumping to my knees. "Why aren't you more freaked out?" I wave my arms around in exasperation. "You could die!" I stress each words, tears welling up in my eyes.  
"Annie_"  
"NO!" She jumps back a bit. "Think of...you could..." A hot tear rolls down my cheek, my hair falling out more.  
"ANNIE!" she shouts, winces, but still gives me a hard look. "I'm not going to die." she squints from the sunlight. "Wanna know why?"  
I nod my head. She opens her arm out wide, and I rush into them. I enjoy my friend's embrace, knowing they are probably numbered.  
"I'm gonna live because I said I will. The only person that's gonna be dead is Miles. That, I'll do on my own." She says, trying to smile. I let more tear fall, staining her clothes, but we still hug.  
"I'll help you with it." I say through my tears, pulling away from Thalia. She nods, lays down, then closes her eyes while Sammy starts preforming relaxing spells on her.

I stand up, wipe my hands on my shorts, and walk over to the edge of the court. I stay on my toes, by bend my knees and rest my forearms on my thighs, I cover my arms from a cool gust of wind that sends an unfamiliar shiver up my spine. I watch the sun that sits in the sky, it casts light over the valley and warms me. I smile, eyes closed, and try to relax.

The day has been long. From Percy, the game, Thalia, Miles. Everything. It seems like years ago that everything was easier. But I guess life is never easy for a demigod. Sucks for us.

Then, a strange tingle shoots through my body, my neck feels tense and tight. I reach up to touch it and I feel my bones crack instead. My hand aches and I look down, seeing to small and dangerous hands wrapped around my troat. I realize what's happening. Miles snuck up on me and is strangling me. I thrash around, trying to choke out a scream, but he blocks my vocal chords and leave me silenced. Like my soul is being squeezed to tight and my senses and muscles are dying. I'm loosing the ability to struggle. My attempts become more and more feeble, I' like a doll. Limp and useless. Controlled by my holder, even if it's killing me.

Then my senses start to go.

My eyes no longer have the strength to stay open, I fight to keep them open but all my energy rushes to my vitals. I'm bind. My nerves are shot and I can't feel and my muscles are immoblie. I can barely hear, and it happens to be the last sense I have left. I'm aware of Miles's grunting are he kills me, I hear to birds chirping in the valley. It's a nice place to die in.

"HEY! Hey you! Let go of her!" I hear faintly, along with the sounds of people coming towards me. It shouted more words but my hearing has faded to a point where it sounds like meaningless noise. I know one thing though. It was a guy's voice, strong and urgent. I do not know what the voice belongs to.

And I will die never knowing. That is my last decision.

* * *

**I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THE UPDATE TIME! I just haven't been able to update soon enough. After this chapter, I'm taking a break from this story and gonna finish GONE, which shouldn't take too long. **

**Thanks to all the readers/reviewers. And I know that I said her name would be revealed in this chapter, but I started writing too much and I decided to leave it here. I'll update, a lot, really soon! Thanks though! hugs and Hot Chocolate!**

**Please don't be mad, it's around the holiday season! Be nice! Have some Fruit Cake! OK, wait, don't have any Fruit Cake...Just enjoy yourselves, read, and review my story. YOU CAN SUGGEST MY STORIES TO YOUR FRIENDS! ;)**

**BTW, MERRY CHRISTMAS! **

**P.S. What do you think of the name? Nice, right?**

**~The Experience**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello Internet. I am back! Happy Holidays! **

**I'm just saying sorry about the updating pace, it's getting really slow. ****I'm not going to boar to with a reason.**

**You know have permission to, theoretically, slap me in the face and start yelling at me.**

**I've been busing reading and writing, again. Then again, when am I not reading? I won't even say what I'm reading; it'll take up like 20 lines. **

**That's not the only reason why I'm not updating, though. I really had a hard time figuring out how to start this chapter. The writing has been running a little dry but I keep trying. Seriously, any suggestions are open. Plus, I'm also working on my other stories too. I PROMISE TO GET ANOTHER GONE CHAPTER UP AFTER THIS! And How to Save a Demigod. It's been such a long time sine I worked on those. **

**You probably don't even care, do you?**

**Alright, alright, here's your chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of PJO!**

**5**

**Thalia**

THIS IS WHAT HELL IS LIKE.

I pull in a ragged breath, fingers pulling at the sand, my muscles locked into place. A bead of sweat rolls down my forehead, trickling onto my cheek, and rests at my lips. I grit my teeth and my tongue recedes to the roof of my mouth to avoid being drown in my blood that I've brought up somehow. I swallow, my back is warm and sticky from a layer of sweat, sand crawling to my scalp and making my itchy.

I refuse to move, though.

My eyes are focused on Sammy, her hair is out and flying in her face as she digs through a small first-aid kit. She muttering to herself about something, bitting her lip every now and then. Occasionally, she glances at me and I quickly look away, like I'm staring at some bird that's flying around. Finally, she got to her knees and patted the sand from her shorts. She's clutching something in her left hand, although I can't see what it is, I can smell it.

It smells horribly of antiseptic, ammonia, and chlorine. Three scents I cannot place to just one object in particular. It's like an operation room in the hospital, or dissection say in Chemistry, or smelling a big bottle of toxic chemicals. For all I know, that's what she's carrying. She's walking over to me, trying to force a smile but failing hopelessly. She slowly kneels beside me, touching my arm gently.

"Thalia, are you ready?" She asks, moistening her lips.  
She lifts the hand that holds the smelly 'cure' bringing it closer to my face. "Wait!" I shout, wincing from the jaw movement.  
"I wasn't going to give this," She holds up a sliver vile, a strange liquid floats inside it. "to you yet. You need to be knocked out first."  
"Why?" I ask, remaining still.  
"This little bottle here," She shakes the container and the liquid inside glows purple. "will tell us when we've used enough pressure to fix your jaw."  
My mind tries to comprehend this. "How does that thing," I eye the vile, inspecting the insane liquid that's going to save my life. "do that. How does it know when_"  
"Thalia, please, it's a magical potion. Mother sent it while I was making my way to camp. It's her...welcoming present."  
"And you want to use it on me?" I ask, confusion spreads onto my face. "You should use it."  
"Nah, I have no use for it now."  
"Well, she sent you a pressure sensing potion for a reason. You might need it later." I say, giving her a serious look.  
She laughs a bit, that special giggle that girly-girls use that drives me nuts. "Silly," She touches my arm and smiles. "It's a wish potion!"  
"Sorry, what did you say? Cause today I've been smacked in the face with a door, hit with Volleyball, and strangled half-to-death by a ten year old. I'm not to good with the brain now." I say, stressing my confusion.  
"Oh! Thalia, wishing potions are given for those who need a wish. I could say..." She looks up at the sky, her mind racing in thought. " I wish this potion would help me win a bet! And poof! The potion becomes something lucky. I already wished for a potion to help you live, so _you _have to take it. No choice." She shook the bottle inches from my nose. The color changing liquid glowed a bright yellow.  
"Fine." I say, giving up. She nods and pulls out a rag that smells like the chemicals. The stinky liquid burned my nose and mad me gag. She held the rag closer.

"This, we do first."  
"Um..." I say, pulling away slightly, a trickle of sweat forming at my hairline. "What else is coming? Just to make this seem better."  
"Let's see..." She pulls a small sheet of paper from her pocket. "Four shots, three cleansing rags, five pills, one potion," She shakes the potion bottle, "possible operation, then the final thing to make it all work. The jaw moving!"  
My blood freezes, staring at the thin sheet of paper that lays in Sammy's hands.  
"Why are we doing the rags first?" I ask, stalling the process.  
"Cause, we have to clean to wounds so we can inject stuff in your body to close the wounds so when we do the jaw thing, you won't bleed to death." She says like it's first grade math.  
"Fantastic." I say, voice grim. "Is it going to hurt? The rag thing?" I ask, wanting to touch the spot where the rag was going to go. I picture the large open cut on my right cheek, the small one on my arm, the gushing one on my leg. Each was going to be soaked in chemicals in a matter of seconds. "To me, it sounds painful."  
"Oh, it is." She says, which is practically like stabbing me. My eyes go wide, breathing stops, and my blood freezes.  
"Perfect." I say quietly, barely opening my mouth.

"Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Sammy says, waving the rag in the air. The awful smell makes its way back to me at racing speed. My nose burns, the powerful chemicals floating through my lungs.  
"Let's not." I say, gingerly pushing the rag with my fingernail.  
"You've got to do this! I have five sets of morphine here in case_"  
"Wait," I say, processing what I've just heard. "how'd you get five cases of morphine?"  
"I know a guy." She says, complete seriousness in her voice. I swallow hard, a bloody taste in my throat.  
"Yeah, that's comforting."  
"Oh come on, Thalia!" She shouts, gripping the case in one hand in the rag in the other. She brings both closer to me.  
"Fine, whatever. Just...be gentle. _Really _gentle." I say, shutting my eyes so hard that they hurt. I tighten up again, gripping the area around me to find support when Sammy hovers the rag over my small arm wound.  
"It won't hurt a bit..."  
"No, just a lot." I say, voice grim and through my teeth.  
"Of course not, I'll give you the morphine if you get out of control." She holds out a pinkie. "Promise."  
"Fine," I say, releasing my hold on my right arm and shaking her pinkie. "you're so childish."  
"You know it!" she giggles, and I'm about to respond when she tosses the rag on my open wound.

I am not prepared for what comes.

All of the preparations I did to prepare, every moment of restraint, is gone. The chemicals seep into my open skin through the tiny scratch, working through to my bloodstream. First, I do nothing. There is no pain, just a slight numb feeling at the scratch. I close my eyes in relief. But I have not given it enough time to activate. Then waves of pain, all coming from my scratch, flood me. It's like my bare flesh and organs are being dipped in oil, set ablaze in a fire, then dumped in acid. My body fights the unknown chemicals, I'm surely thrashing around, and it's like I'm their battlefield. Pain shoots through my veins in every direction, setting fire and sending mayhem through me, and my body is losing control. Very fast. I'm aware of my fingers gripping the sand, nails digging into my own skin. I roll over on my side, floundering like a fish who's been speared. Groans escape through my locked teeth, but I refuse to scream. Screaming would show weakness, if the rest of my actions haven't already, and it would give away the scene at the Volleyball court. If I scream, I'll draw in a crowd, if not Chiron and Mr. D.

But life is cruel, and it sends a huge jolt of pain soaring to my head. It attacks with sharp points of pressure, like pins in my brain. It's too much, like darkness is consuming me, and I can no longer fight back. The pain aims at my throat, begging me to scream, and I do.

It's long, high pitched, and very loud. The shriek tears through my jaw and brings more pain. The poisoned air from my lungs shoots out and I find a little relief, and I do not stop screaming. It's like the acid has found another way out, instead of destroying my body, and it slowly goes out. Blood rushes up my throat and builds up in my mouth. The metallic liquid is repulsive, but continue screaming. The blood drowns out most of the sound. Then it drips out the side of my mouth.

I rip my eyes open, but they are dizzy and blurry. Like looking through glass beer bottle. All I see is the pool of blood by my face, the dark sticky liquid making me sick, and something else farther away. I think it's Annabeth, the blond cloud around it makes me sure, and she's kneeling and slumped over. Something is on top of her, clinging on her for dear life.

_Great, I'm hallucinating. _I think through the pain. I see a fuzzy shape thrashing wildly at my side and assume it's my arm. _I hope it's my arm..._The light outside world hurts my brain even more. I slam my eyes closed and find some sense in the darkness. And I can think, which I hope means the pain is receding. But then I sense my face, my cheek with the open wound, and I feel another numb spot. Sammy has laid the second patch. I quickly reach up to toss it off but the pain is too fast, and I feel the acid again. I scream again, feeling electricity jump through me.

_Oh, oh no. _I think, remembering who I am and what I can do. Sammy should've kept me in a rubber room. With a straight jacket and safety helmet. The sparks bounce through my finger nails, static building up. It's my fingers in fight-mode, the only thing they think will stop the pain. As long as the pain isn't in me, it works. I wrap my fingers in a fist, concealing the currents, but it fights back. The acid pry my fingers open...and bolts shoot from my hands. I hate shooting lightning through my hands. It hurts a lot, like pulling the veins from your hands. Me, Percy, and Nico all agree generating the stuff is more painful then anything else we do. I hear Sammy screaming with me, but then something even worse happens.

I feel a large spot of numbness on my leg. Sammy has laid the final patch on the largest wound. The lightning will only get worse. I scream again, hoping Sammy gets the message about the pain and lightning. The heat and acid rips through my body in the strongest wave of pain. Like my bones are dissolving and my insides are being burned and stabbed. I clench my teeth together, fighting my hardest for control, my eyes snapping open. Sure enough, the bright hot lightning is bouncing around me. Surely campers are watching now. I see Sammy, she staring at me, worried looks in her eyes. I keep my teeth clenched, and I get her attention on my face by screaming a bit in my throat. It hurts and I'm sure that this treatments probably isn't worth it. But then I remember, _there's more. _

"Stop this now." I say slowly through my closed teeth. Thunder cracks from the sky, a bolt of lightning strikes next to me, and wind blows around me. A powerful storm develops at my will. Ready to kill the pain, even if my life is ended too, if Sammy doesn't soon. I see her pull a container of morphine from behind her back, she quickly runs over to me with the needle.  
"I think this is 'out of control', don't you?" She says, plunging the needle into my arm and emptying it's contents. A cool relief pops up in my arm, sending a waves of calm around my body. The acid starts feeling less intense...I find my eyes closing, looking at Savannah's relieved and worried face. My heart beat is slowing, mind going numb, and I have only one thing left to say before I go under.  
"You _think_?"

And I let the morphine take over...

* * *

**Annabeth**

I can hear it.

It's loud and clear.

It's a loud beep, coming every three seconds, and it pierces my eardrums with it's high sound. I brace myself for each harsh sound, but every time it seems to get louder, more prominent. My eyelids are pulled tight and I stare into the darkness inside me. _Beep. _It rings through me, like a bell being blown through a tornado. Constantly ringing. _Beep. _It's getting faster now. I can feel my muscles tightening, but I'm so weak that I can't tell anything else. My body is numb and rigid, and being constantly annoyed with that beeping.

_Beep. _

My eyes shoot open, blood hot under my skin, and my mind is racing like it's in attack-mode. But I wince, my eyes squinting. It's like I'm looking down a hall of Carnival mirrors that have hundreds of flashlights pointed at you. The light sends a wave of pressure to my head, pressing it together, and I give a small cry through my clenched teeth. I can feel my fingers gripping at my sides, pulling at a soft and warm substance. I stay in the darkness for a few seconds then slowly open my eyes.

The light is less intense now, more like a golden glow. I blink, clearing my vision of spots and blurs. A black ceiling comes into focus, a gray fan swirling around with a small light bulb at it's center. Other lights cover the ceiling, like stars in a night sky, burning brightly and radiantly against the darkness. I sigh, breath getting caught in my throat and coming out funny. My finger instantly go slack and I turn to my sides, looking at the bed I'm in.

The white cotton sheets cover my legs and they encompass my body in the feeling of warmth. Guard rails stand at the sides of my bed, their gray color the same as my mattress and pillow. I look at my hands, barely noticing the wrinkled and ripped sheets where they lay. My fingers are curled, indents cover my flesh, and a sharp cut is open on me. The long, thin gash has blood squeezing out. The blood drips down my hand, leaving a dark red trail,and lands on my thin nightgown. The creamy colored gown has a large red stain in it, the color slowly changing to a rusty shade. I look up at the ceiling in defeat.

"Crap." I say, my quiet and hoarse voice echoing in the empty room. I quickly wipe away the streak over the cut, but more quickly flows out. "Why do I have to bleed so much?" I ask myself, voice rising and becoming dry. I press my thumb on top of the cut, applying pressure, and sighing. I don't feel new blood coming. I quickly examine the spot on my gown. The stain has grown a bit and become lighter. Drying. "Crap, I bet you're borrowed or something, right? That's just my luck." I moisten my finger and start rubbing it across the stain. The layer of blood spreads. "Seriously?" I say, throwing my hands down in disgust. I glance at my bleeding hand. No blood rises to the surface.

Then, the hardwood door in the corner of the room produces a knock. I quickly move my shoulder, bringing it on the bed, then propping myself up on my forearm. My body is sore, muscles numb and hollow. I grip the guard rail with my other hand, pulling on it's balance, and I manage to sit up. My head instantly feels dizzy.

"Come in..." I say, voice slurred and tired again. All of this from sitting up? Pathetic.

A tall woman walks into the room, she holds a red tray on her arm like a waitress. Her light blond hair is pulled back into a ponytail with a few strands falling out that cover her light green eyes.

"Hi, sweetheart. I guess you're up!" She smiles again, walking closer to me and setting the tray down on my table. I crane my neck to see what's on the tray: medince and a glass of water.  
"Yeah, lucky me." I say quietly, slowly covering the blood stain on my clothes.  
"You know, we were afraid you'd never wake up. Usually people start waking up after a few days or so. You were out for..." She quickly turns on her white heels, creating a sharp and clean sound, then walks over to a list hanging on the foot of my bed. She picks up the clipboard, looks it over, the smiles at me. Like nothing's wrong. "You were out for almost out for a month."  
My blood freezes and my heart hammers painful in my chest. "Really?" I ask, disbelief in my voice. But my reasonable side starts to take over, working out the possiblities, until I weakliy smile at her. "Yeah, that makes sense. No wonder I'm so sore."  
"That's why. You probably lost some muscle," I grimace. Losing strength isn't something I can afford. "and quite a bit of weight." I strech out my arms, noticing that she's right. I'm much thinner, the arms mucles I had are thin and hollow.

"Any way, sweetheart_"  
"Wait, why am I here?" I ask, cutting of the woman. I search for a nametag on her white coat. Thin purple cursive letters are stitched into the right side of her coat. I squint at the words, they twist and turn in my head, until I finally make out 'Nurse Polly Rasputin'  
"Oh, dear, you were choking. I should've known you wouldn't remember a thing. Silly me." She taps her head and laughs a bit. "But you're friends and family came and dropped you off here. These two cousins of yours..."She looks out the window in the room, thinking. "There names were...I don't remember. Oh well. Oh!" I jump, blinking my eyes at her.  
"What?" I say, drowsy and impatient.  
"Your...uncles? Uncle C. and Uncle D."_ Chiron and Dionysus?_ I wonder, "came by and wanted to see you. Along with these other little girls. The three of them were so worried. Oh, what were their names..."  
"Thalia, Samantha, and Rays?" I guess, remembering my three friends. Rays must have been worried sick. She's known me since we were in sixth grade. And she's stayed by me ever since we found out that she was a demigod: a daughter of Morpheus.  
"Yes, two of them came by. Samantha and Rays." She says, and I try to hide my shock. Thalia would have came. I hope she would've...My heart beats faster, making the monitor go faster with it. Polly is startled by the sudden shock and looks at me like I've just grown another head.  
"Not...Thalia." I say, trying to calm myself.  
"Nope, I would've remembered that name."  
"Who else came then?" I ask, biting my lip.  
"Some girl...she came and sent these flowers. She pointed to the corner of the room where a large vase of flowers sat on the table. Various flowers and scents enter my nose, and I sigh. Pink and white carnations spill out of the blue vase with rows of red and white Roses. I see a Peony in the middle of the arangement. It rises high and prominent against the other flowers. And I know what it means: healing.  
"Is there a card attached?" I ask, squinting to look.  
"Oh, yes! I bet there is!" The nurse goes to the vase and rumages through the stem until she produces a white card. She looks at it and frowns.

"I can't read this. Is it Chinese? Or Hebrew?" She asks me, handing me the thin card. I take it in my hands, sigh, then look up at Polly.  
"It's Greek. Ancient Greek." I say, smiling.  
"Can you read it? Are you in some club that teaches to you Greek?" She looks over my shoulder a bit, and I nod.  
"Kinda..."  
"Well? What does it say?" Polly asks, excitment in her voice.  
"'Dear Annabeth. I'm really sorry about what happened, and I have the need to thank you for all you did. I was mean to you, downright awful actually, but you saved my boyfriend and got hurt from it. I have no clue what I can do to thank you. Call when you read this. -Alec.'" I look at the card again. Then I notice something on the back of it. I turn it over and read it to myself. _This card is good for one free Iris Message. _I smile, and I look up at Polly.  
"Well, that was nice of her. Those flower got here a few days ago, can you believe it? There all in such good health." Polly points to the flowers, admmiring their beauty. _Thanks Demeter Cabin..._I think, knowing they grew them.  
"Yeah..." I say, nodding a bit.  
"Oh, that's right! I'm supposed to give you these." She walks over to the tray and takes two pill containers. "This one is from the doctors..." She hands me one. "And this one is your daily medincine that your Uncle C. said you should take." She hands me the containers.  
"Uh, thanks." I say, unscrewing the cap on the doctor's pills. Then, the intercom above the door crackles to life.  
"Nurse Rasputin? Are you in patient Annabeth Chase's room?" A male voice calls. "  
"Yeah." She says.  
"We need you in room 2527 with patient Lisa Kelvics." The man says, urgency in his voice. "And bring her container marker 2527. Now!" Polly straightens up, waves to me and mouths a goodbye, then rushes out the door.

I take a round pill from the container, stare at it and roll it in my fingers. I've never needed to eat a pill before. All I eat is Ambrosia. _Can demigods even eat pills? _I wonder. I shrug, then place the pill on my tongue. I grab the glass of water Polly left for me, and drink the pill down. I sigh, then open the next pill canister. I look inside and see little squares, pilled high inside the container.

Ambrosia squares.

Now I am sure that Chiron and Mr. D were here. I eagerly eat a square, waiting for relief from the pain, when I find a piece of paper under some of the squares. I pull out the wrinkled paper and read it. The Greek symbols are written in Chiron's hand.

"Annabeth. First, tell us when Thalia is seriously injured instead of letting Samantha take care of her. Second, we hope you are OK. You are probably wondering why you are not in the hospital wing in Camp Half-Blood. We did take you there, Percy and Tyler brought you to us as soon as they found you, and we tried everything. But you wouldn't wake up. We quickly rushed you to the mundane hospital, thinking since this was more of a mundane injury instead of godly you'd be cured here. We are investigating the Hospital Wing though, se we can find out why you couldn't recover there. We all hope to see you back, and well, at camp soon. -Chiron." I sigh, voice tight and hoarse.

I can remember what happened now. Miles, he was choking me. Strangling me. I reach for my neck, and I feel an indent on my lower neck. I swallow, bitting my lip. And why couldn't I recover at camp? What is wrong with Thalia?

Then the door bursts open. I drop my hands and sit up straight. My vision is dizzy and spot cloud my sight.

"Annabeth!" Someone rushes to me, then kneels by my bed. I blink and identify the person. Percy. My heart races faster, adrenaline shoots through me, and I look into his sea green eyes. "Thanks the gods, you're alive!" She reaches out to hug me and I grip him tightly, smiling.  
"Yeah, of course I am. I've face Hydras, Furies, Cerebus, A Cyclopes, Hellhounds, Luke, and Kronos. But I'm not about to die under the hand of a ten-year-old kid." He smiles, laughing a bit, and I do too.  
"Hey, I almost died at a family reunion once. My three-year-old cousin threw his fork at my eye." I smile.  
"Wow. The great Percy Jackson, invincible to all, was almost killed by a toddler!" I shout, my voice cracking a bit at the end.  
"Hey, he's got good aim. And this was before I was incinvible, for your information." He said, smiling and pulling up a chair next to me.  
"Sure it was."  
"Really, I promise." We laugh for a minute, my heart light, and for once I'm not worried or feeling sick. "Well, at least you haven't lost your sense of humor. Lose that...well, you wouldn't be Annabeth anymore."  
I nod, smiling, and shaking my head. "I refuse to lose."

"Hey! You never said she was awake!" A voice calls from the doorway. I turn my head as Percy grimaces.

Standing their is a tall guy with a slightly muscluar build with his arms over his chest. He has an angular face and tan skin that highlight his bright blue eyes. His brown wavy hair reaches to his eyebrows. He wears the orange camp shirt with the necklace around his neck. I count three beads, but I don't recall ever seeing him before. He stares at me, eyes in wonder, and smiles. The bright white teeth melt me, and I suddenly feel like I'm being lifted in mid-air. I return the smile, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"Hi, I'm Tyler."

* * *

**Gasp! A twist! **

**Dang, this chapter is long. And I know, you probably want to come after me with torches and pitchforks because I didn't reveal the girlfriends name-again, but it got too long to intorduce her. REALLY SORRY! Instead, you got to meet Tyler...sort of. I will try to put the girlfriend in the next chapter though. Please, don't be upset. **

**Next, I'd like to thank you all for reading each chapter and reviewing. They really do make me feel good and it helps cause I spent, like, two weeks on this chapter. Really, it was probably longer then that. I've been deleting, then rewriting all over again for probably over twenty times now. It changes a lot. Like how Annabeth wakes up, to adding Thalia's POV into the story. **

**I'm going to stop writing now, because you're probably sick of me by now. I know I am! ;) Haha! **

**Anyway, I hope you read the next chapter and read my other stories too! **

**Also, please please please vote on my poll! **

**Thanks, love you all, bye! **

**~The Experience**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello Internet.**

**After I finish this chapter, I'm going to switch gears a bit. Instead of writing under The Experience, I'm going to _try_ using The Destination for once. And, I've not decided, that I'm going to make that account for One-Shots, and this one for actual long stories. So, if you happen to know someone who likes One-Shots, tell them that The Destination writes 'em. I just had to let you know.**

**Um, yeah, this part is just for future reference. Now if in the, like, 20th chapter of the story, my writing goes... weird, like I start messing up on what my characters are wearing or I don't clarify something, I'm really sorry about that. I'm saying that in advance because we all forget stuff. Even if I am young, I still have a bad memory sometimes. Or I just feel lazy or crapy.**

**Just keep that in mind.**

**Plus, April's going to be really busy for me and I probably won't have time to post anything. I've got my birthday (April 13) and City of Fallen Angels (April 5) so yeah! I LOVE THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, SO THERE'S NO WAY I'M MISSING THAT! I'm even going out to Barnes and Nobles just to buy the special edition. ;) (BTW, in the special Barnes and Nobles edition, you can get Jace's letter that he wrote to Clary in City of Glass!)**

**Now grab a fattening food, sit in front of the screen, get cozy, and READ!**

**I know I do that. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of PJO!**

**6**

**Annabeth**

"SO, YOU'RE A SON OF...?" I ask, not meeting Tyler's eyes. But I can hear him tap the vase of flowers Alec sent me. Percy is still sitting beside my bed, screwing and unscrewing the cap to my medicine. He's been reading the labels to himself for the last few minutes, over and over again-ADHD at work.  
"Son of Hephaestus, if you can believe that." I look up at him, his strong hands holding a red carnation that he plucked from the vase. "These are nice. Who sent them?"  
"Um, Alec, daughter of Apollo." I say, my fingers anxiously tapping the bed rail.  
"Alec?" Percy asks, setting down the bottles and looking at me. "You mean the red head at the Volleyball match?"  
I nod, biting my lip. "Yup, that's her."  
"Why'd she send you flowers?" Percy looks at me, then the flowers, then back at me like he's trying to connect the dots.  
"I, uh, saved her boyfriend." I pick up one of my covers and search for the card Alec sent that now lays between my sheets. "Miles was choking him, and I punched him in the face to get him to let go."  
"And, just guessing here," Tyler said, laying down the flower walking over to the foot of my bed. He leans against the rail, smiles, and looks at me intently. "that's how you ended up here."  
"Yeah, that's how." I say, looking around the room to avoid his gaze. While my eyes zoom in and out of focus, I spot the card Alec sent and pull it out from between the bed rail and mattress. I uncreased the card, then handed it to Percy. "Alec sent this."  
His eyes scan over the small paper, his eyebrows being raised here and there. "She sent you this?"  
"Yeah, I guess I should call her soon..."

"Hey, let's call her now." Tyler said, cutting off Percy before he could speak. "I wanna say something about these flowers. It's quite impressive that a daughter of...Apollo?" He asks, looking at me for confirmation, and I nod. "Could grow these. It looks more like Demeter work."  
"Well, the Demeter cabin probably did grow them, she just took them or something." I say, waving it off.  
"Nah, I think she grew 'em." Percy said, standing up, and grabbing a water bottle of my side table.  
"What do you mean?" I ask, "She couldn't have."  
"Actually," he says, "I saw her sneak something from the Demeter cabin week ago. And right after we took you to the hospital, I saw her pour some seeds into the ground outside her cabin. She's been growing them for a while...I guess these could be hers."  
"Wow, that's..." I say, thinking of a good word. "So nice. I can't believe she'd do that for me."  
"She does care, then." Tyler says, smelling the flower and smiling. His brilliant white smile blazing and his blue eyes sparkling in the sun.  
"Then we IM her." Percy says, walking in front of the window where the sun spills into the room, unscrewing the cap, and looking at me. "Can you see from here?"  
"Yeah," I say, nodding. "Of course."  
Percy quickly pours the bottle out of the water, and Tyler cringes and waits for it to hit the floor.  
Obviously, he hasn't spent enough time with Percy.  
Percy closes his eyes, and the water stops in mid fall. Slowly it thins out, creating a fine mist that slowly falls to the ground. And when it does, it flies back up and starts to fall again. Rainbows glow from the mist, giving us the perfect Iris Message. Tyler blinks a few times, amazed, then looks at the card that Percy is pushing at him.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" Tyler asks, looking over the card.  
"Use it. Call Alec." Percy says, clenching his fists, but his eyes are still open. I know controlling water hurts him a bit, but he seems to be OK. But he can't do to much while he does.  
"How?"  
"I don't know," Percy says, exasperation leaking through his voice. "You're the son of Hephaestus, you're the handy guy, you should know this stuff." He says.  
"Yeah, Percy's a real Seaweed Brain." I say, smiling.  
"Shut it, Wise Girl." He says, but he's smiling too. "Cause I will direct this water at you."  
"You wouldn't." I say, suddenly scared.  
"Try me." He says, pulling a part of the water away from the mist and it slowly flies at me.  
"Crap!" I shout, ducking as the water circles over my head like a little rain cloud. "Don't do that!" I'm laughing, though, the heart monitor beating faster from the scare.  
"You should've seen your fac_"  
"Later!" Tyler says, stopping Percy. "I think I figured out how to work this..." He inserts the card into the mist, like the way a vending machine eats your money, and the mist blinks.  
"One-Free-Call-Card accepted!" The mist says, blinking again and showing a blurry picture of a smile. "Please say desired reciever to call."

"Uh...Alec..." I say, not sure of her last name.  
"Ortega." Percy whispers, and I nod.  
"Uh, yeah. Alec Ortega at Camp Half Blood." I say, loud enough for the Message to hear me. It blinks again, then the mist shifts to Camp Half Blood's archery targets. Alec stands in front of one, bow in her hand, aiming for a target that's at least 30 feet away.  
"Come on..." She whispers, breathing quietly, then releasing the arrow as she closes her eyes to pray. The arrow soars across the field, the slamming into the target at the bulls eye. "YES!" She shouts after she opens her eyes, jumping into the air and screaming. The people around her turn to look, noticing the IM and I give a sheepish wave, trying not to laugh.  
"HEY!" Me, Percy, and Tyler shout, causing Alec to tip over in surprise. She falls on her butt, and looks at the message in surprise.  
"Oh, hi! Glad you called." She smiles, her face burning red. "How much did you guys see?"  
"Ever since you started aiming." I say, smiling ear to ear.  
"Well, that's great." she says, wiping her hands on her shorts and straightening her camp shirt. "Got someone to prove I actually made the shot."  
"So, why'd you want me to IM you?" I ask. "Pretty sure it wasn't so I could watch you shoot."  
"I don't know," she says, pulling at her dark red ponytail. "I guess I just wanted to apologize, and thank you, in person."

"Oh," Tyler says, cutting in and stepping in front of me. "Did you grow these?" He asks, holding up the flower.  
"Yeah, I did. Why?"  
"They are amazing. I can't believe you grew them. They look so healthy and beautiful."  
"Jeez, thanks." She says, overwhelmed. "Glad you like them. Wait," she says, holding out a hand, then squinting at the screen. At least, I think she's squinting. Tyler's muscular shoulders block half of the image. "what are you and Percy doing there, Tyler?"  
"Visiting." Percy said, pushing Tyler away a bit.  
"You two better get back soon. Chiron wants everyone in the arena by three. Some big announcement." All out heads swivel to the walls, looking for a clock. "And, just in case you're wondering, it's two fifteen."  
"Ah, crap." Percy says, slamming his fist into the wall. It dents a bit from the punch. "Camp's like a half hour drive from here."  
"Yup, he won't be happy that you guys snuck out of camp." Alec says.  
"You guys snuck out to see me?" I ask, looking at Percy. He smiles, then nods.  
"Totally. You're worth it." He says, his voice low, and his tone sends shivers down my spine and makes me blush.  
"Yeah, we gotta go." Tyler says, grabbing a coat of the chair and throwing at Percy. "Here."  
"This is yours." Percy says, examining the coat. The dark gray sweatshirt has a ketchup stain on the right pocket and a small hole in the hood.  
"Yeah, but you're carrying it." He says, smiling. Percy gives him a look, but reluctantly heads for the door with the coat under his arm.  
"See you soon, IM me." He says.  
"I would, but I don't have any drachmas. " I say sadly, looking at the pale nightgown with no pockets.  
"Yeah, sure you don't. But I do." He laughs, pulling five drachmas out of his pocket and tossing them at me. I catch them in my hands, setting them in my lap.  
"Thanks, call you." I say, grinning.  
"You have to, or I may have to kill you." He laughs again, and I smile as he walks outside.

"You guys are pretty good friends, huh?" Tyler asks, watching me, his fingers lazily trailing the desk against the wall.  
"Yeah, since I was twelve." I say, remembering the first time I met him. Yeah, just passed out after fighting a Minotaur. Pretty hot.  
"That's great. It must be nice to have a long-term friend." He says, walking closer to me, something pained hangs in the air.  
"You don't?"  
"Not the point." He says, closing the topic. "Just get better soon. Come back to camp, too."  
"Course," I say, trying not to meet the tropical blue eyes that hold me like moths to a flame. "I'll be back as soon as I can."  
"See you then." He whispers, leaning down to my level, and lightly kissing my forehead. Sparks erupt over my skin, my cheeks being stained with blood, and my heart pounding hard and fast in my chest. MY eyes go wide when we both hear my heart monitor go crazy. "Cute." He says, smiling, but it doesn't reach his eyes. He exhales, then turns sharply on his heals and walks towards the door; not even giving me a second glance.  
"Bye." I whisper, but he's already gone, leaving me more confused then every before.

I slump back down into my sheets and pillows, look up at the ceiling, and pray that tears don't fall. My fingers linger over the sheets, touching the five gold drachmas that Percy gave me. The shinny coins are still warm from his touch, the stamped in picture of Zeus looks at me with steely eyes. My hand reaches to my forehead, nails lightly touching the smooth skin where Tyler's lips kissed. The touch tingles like a live wire, sharp and warm. "Wow..." I whisper.

"Yeah, no kidding!" A voice says. I bolt upright, my eyes wide, and I see Alec's face staring at me. A smile on her lips. "You know I'm still here, right? And that I saw all of that?"  
"Oh, crap." I say, burying my face in my blankets as Alec laughs. "How are you still here? Percy left, the mist should've faded!"  
"Well, don't ask me how the mist works! Either way, I'm still here. And I heard everything." She whispered the last part and I felt shivers race down my spine.  
"You can't say_"  
"Relax, I won't say anything. If I did, I think Angela will kill you."  
"Heck, no kidding."  
"Really, I won't say anything. Chill." She holds out her hands in a signal of peace.  
"Yeah, Ok."  
"So," Her smile widened, eyes glowing like the Cheshire Cat in Alice and Wonderland. I guess it's a book, but my dad showed me the movie when I was little. "You like Tyler?"  
"What?" I ask, my face burning.  
"Oh, come on! You are so hooked! Did you see your face when he kissed you?"  
"Um, no."  
"Well, it says it all!" She smiles more, "You are in love!" She croons, making a heart with her fingers. "Annabeth's in love!"  
"No, no. No." I say, shaking my head. "I am not in love with Tyler."  
"Oh! Then there's only one other option."  
"Which is?" I ask, confusion crossing my face. She smiles, her eyes wide and triumph.  
"You're in love with _Percy_." She says, and my heart quickens. My fingers grip an empty glass the nurse gave me a while ago, and I toss it at the message. Alec ducks, forgetting it's an Iris Message, and the glass smashes into the wall.  
"I am not!" I say, hoping that I'm not blushing.  
"Are too!" She stops quickly, her eyes going even wider, then looks at me. "Oh! You're in love with both of them." But there's sadness in her voice.  
"No," I say quietly, but my voice is shaking. "that can't be true..."  
"Come on, Annabeth." She says in a whisper, slinging the arrows over her shoulder, her bow gripped in her fingers, and she starts walking. The IM follows her until she reaches the corner of the woods, and when she enters the forest, the IMfollows. Soon she's walked deep into the forest, withbarelyany light except for the bit that reaches through the leaves above. "You know you like both of them."  
"No, I can't." I say, shaking my head a bit.  
"Say it."  
"Say what?" I ask, biting my lip.  
"Say you're in love." She whispers, smiling a bit.  
"Not with two people."  
"Yeah, with two people. It's possible to love two people at the same time. "  
"But_"

"Annabeth. Think about Tyler." She instructs. "You've known him for an hour or so, and you're already looking at him like he's..." She stops to think for a moment. "Taylor Lautner!"  
"Taylor Launter?" I ask, a bit disgusted. I'm not a huge Taylor Launter fan. "Why him?"  
"Cause he's hot."  
"Uh, not really."  
"Yeah, he is."  
"No, he's not." I say, crossing my arms. "His eyes are all squinty, his hair is weird, and I don't think he's that good of an actor_"  
"What! You're not on Team Jacob!" She looks at me, light brown eyes wide, her mouth hanging open. "Like, come on! You seriously can't be on Team Edward-that's crazy!"  
"How did we start talking about_"  
"Like, Edward? Gross." Alec makes a face, "Taylor Launter is so amazing!"  
"Alec!" I shout, causing her to jump. "Focus."  
"What? On his abs? They are pretty sexy_"  
"We _were_ talking_"  
"But when you compare Edward to Jacob, you get the obvious win. Jacob is tan, tall, sweet, hot, and perfect. While Edward is pale, dangerous, overprotective, greasy haired, stupid eyes_"  
"ALEC!" I shout, holding my arms out in exasperation and she stops talking. "One," I say, holding out a finger and trying to control my temper. "I'm not on Team Edward _or _Jacob. I hate Twilight in general-hush!" I say, silencing her look of fury. "Second, we were talking about Tyler and Percy, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." She says, grinning like the Chesire Cat, her eyes sparkling in the dim forest light. "Your two loves of your life."  
"I don't love them," I say, now wishing I hadn't stopped her rant about Robert Pattinson.  
"Annabeth, like I was saying, you're swooning over Tyler like he's Mr. Perfect."  
"I am not_"  
"Are to!" She says, silencing me. "And Percy is the best friend that you fall for after-or during-all your adventures."  
"Excuse me_"  
"It's like one of those sad love stories you see at the movies or something." Alec says, and I roll my eyes. "The girl who has been in love with her best friend for so long_"  
"I am not in love with_"  
"And," She says, cutting me off. "then a new, mysterious guy comes along and you find yourself torn between them."  
"I'm not in love with Tyler either." I spit out, and she sighs.  
"Of course you are-you just won't admit it."  
"But I'm not."  
"Annabeth, your life reminds me of a book I'm reading. Or," She adds, "_was_ reading until the Stolls threw it into the creek."  
"OK..."  
"It was called Dark Visions_"  
"You know what, Alec?" I ask, stretching my arms out a little. "I am really tired all of the sudden. I'm gonna go to sleep. Night!" I sit up more, then run my fingers lightly through the mist before Alec can respond.

I let out a sigh of relief, slumping back into my bed and closing my eyes. Words buzz in my ears and ripple through my body in waves.

_"It's possible to love two people at once," _

With a moan, I grip the corner of one of the pillows and pull it over my face. The plastic tubes on my arms scream in protest as I move them, but I keep them there.

And I let the pain pull me into oblivion.

* * *

**I know, I know-It's really short compared to the last few chapters. **

**But I've been having a rough time doing this chapter for some reason, and I just had to cut it off here. **

**SORRY! **

**Please, don't hurt me! **

**Enjoy your April! **

**See you! Thanks for reading/reviewing!**

**REVIEW! **

**Adios!**

**~The Experience**


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